ARTNotes for Aug. 6

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Calendar of events

Through Sept. 29: The “2012 Kansas City Flatfile,” an exhibition featuring two-dimensional artwork by Kansas City-based artists, is now on view at the H&R Block Artspace at KCAI, 16 E. 43rd St. The invitational biennial exhibition provides visitors with a unique and intimate art viewing experience, encouraging viewers to browse through individual artist portfolios stored within flatfile cabinets or select video works to screen in the “Videofile.” Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit www.kcai.edu/artspace.

Welcome back, KCAI students!

A number of events have been organized to welcome KCAI students back to school. An open house and student organization fair will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. Aug. 18 at the H&R Block Artspace. The fair is open to all KCAI students. A welcome picnic will be held Sept. 6. A First Friday bus will be available for incoming freshman and foundation students to visit galleries in the Crossroads Arts District Sept. 7. Seating is limited and will be first come, first served. The bus will leave KCAI at 6 p.m. from the dorm parking lot and will return to campus around 9 p.m.

Graphic design student awarded AIGA Worldstudio Scholarship

Graphic design student Eli Brumbaugh (senior) recently received a 2012–2013 Worldstudio AIGA Scholarship. Jurors from the American Institute of Graphic Arts met in May and reviewed more than 400 applications from art and design students at colleges and universities across the country. Eighteen scholarships and six honorable mentions were granted in five categories. Brumbaugh was awarded the Coyne Family Foundation Award in the graphic design category.

“These scholarships are very competitive,” said Tyler Galloway, interim chair of the graphic design department. “It says a lot that Eli won an award.”

“I have been working three part-time jobs so I can remain in school,” Brumbaugh said. “This scholarship money will allow me to finish out my senior year KCAI. After graduation I would like to create design solutions that give back to my community to honor the focus on social responsibility within the AIGA Worldstudio Scholarship program.”

Pictured: Portfolio work by Eli Brumbaugh, clockwise from top left: Chocolove packaging redesign, Kansas City Art Institute Print Center branding and “Living with Steel” by Pierre Koenig book cover redesign.

Graphic design student participates in Camp Firebelly

Ivan Alonso (senior, graphic design) recently participated in Camp Firebelly, an internship-styled workshop at Chicago-based Firebelly Design. Ten design students from around the country were chosen to participate in the nine-day workshop. Alonso was given a scholarship to attend the workshop by KCAI design faculty. Students collaborated with designers Matthew Hoffman and Mike Fretto on projects and worked on a rebuilding exchange for the next “You are Beautiful” installation, a world-wide social campaign.

“The main reason I applied to Camp Firebelly was to have an experience at a small design firm that believes in designing for good,” Alonso said. “Worthy causes deserve thoughtful design. I got to see a company that cares for its community produce amazing work. It was an awesome opportunity that I won’t forget.” Pictured: Camp Firebelly interns pose for a photo during their first day at the workshop.

Wellness Works returns this fall

KCAI’s Wellness Works kicks off its fall program with a health fair from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 25 in Epperson Auditorium. The event will include a free salad bar with information about the fall salad bar potluck series and wellness related informational booths including a free hummus tasting, representatives from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City available to measure blood pressure and discuss other health-related issue, the president of the Kansas City Metro Bicycling Club and more.

Salad bar potlucks will be held this fall from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 23 and Nov. 27 in Epperson Auditorium. Potlucks are open to all students, faculty and staff. The walking program, led by M.J. Poehler, library director, will continue from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday. Walkers meet on the south porch of Vanderslice Hall and walk through the Southmoreland neighborhood. A weekly Wellness Works combo will be offered in Café Nerman featuring healthy lunch alternatives, and a monthly newsletter with nutritional information and recipe will be sent to students, faculty and staff. Submit recipes to Madeline Gallucci at mgallucci@kcai.edu.

Twelve KCAI staff members are currently taking part in a weight loss challenge hosted in part by BCBS. In conjunction with the weight loss program, an eight-week weight management webinar series will run from noon to 1 p.m. every Wednesday through Aug. 15. For more information or to register for the webinars, visit www.cvent.com/d/mcqqvr.

Wellness Works was created to promote fitness, nutrition and healthy lifestyles for students, faculty and staff at KCAI. The program’s mission is to provide wellness-based information, encouragement and support for members of the campus community who share common interests and are working toward individual health goals. For more information about Wellness Works, contact Amy Gross at agross@kcai.edu.

KCAI billboard debuts on Broadway

Thanks to Travois Inc., a Kansas City-based firm that offers economic development and financing assistance to Indian Country clients, the Kansas City Art Institute is showcasing its “Art for everybody” message on two billboards at 18th Street and Broadway Boulevard, near the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Travois makes the boards available to area nonprofit organizations on a six-month rotation. They invited KCAI to apply for the opportunity earlier this year. After the firm accepted KCAI’s proposal, Lauren Tobin, KCAI communications manager, worked with Taylor Pruitt (’12 graphic design), a member of the college’s work-study design team, to design the artwork.

“Normally we are not able to afford outdoor advertising,” said Anne Canfield, vice president for communications at KCAI. “We are tremendously grateful to Travois for giving us access to this high-visibility promotional opportunity.”

The billboards promote programs for children, youth and adults through the college’s School for Continuing and Professional Studies. The boards will remain in place through the end of December.

Heads up: something new around campus

You may have noticed that new banners have appeared on light poles around the KCAI campus. The artwork was created for KCAI by Monina Velarde (’09 graphic design), who works at DesignKitchen, an interactive design agency in Chicago. She occasionally handles freelance projects for KCAI.

Chiefs invite President Chanda to serve on Arts Program Advisory Council

Jacqueline Chanda, Ph.D., president of KCAI, has been invited to serve on a nine-person Arts Program Advisory Council created to select artists whose works will be featured at Arrowhead Stadium.

The football club unveiled the Kansas City Chiefs Art Program earlier this summer, stating that “as we mark 50 years of the Chiefs calling Kansas City home, we continue to develop additional ways to celebrate the community at Arrowhead Stadium all year long.” In a letter to President Chanda, Sharron Hunt Munson, daughter of Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, said the club hopes to highlight “some of the best work by artists from our region, offering a unique way to bring sports and the arts together.”

“The purpose of this project is to help build regional culture, provide opportunities for local artists and to engage the community in a way that touches individuals of all ages and walks of life,” Munson wrote.

C. Stephen Metzler elected chair of KCAI board of trustees

C. Stephen Metzler, president and CFO of Metzler Bros. Insurance, has been elected chairman of the board of trustees of the Kansas City Art Institute. A member of the board of trustees since 2008,he succeeds L. William Zahner, CEO of A. Zahner Company, who had served as board chair since July 2010.

“In his four years on the KCAI board of trustees, including his recent chairmanship of the development committee, Steve has already contributed a great deal to the vitality of the board and to the broader profile of the Kansas City Art Institute in the Kansas City community,” said Jacqueline Chanda, Ph.D. president of KCAI. “This spring he co-chaired our 2012 gala, which was an enormous success. He is a creative person with a longstanding interest in the performing and visual arts, and he has demonstrated his commitment to our college in many ways. I look forward to working with him to finalize KCAI’s strategic plan and to explore and undertake a number of new initiatives that are part of our shared vision for the college.”

Metzler holds an M.B.A. degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame. He is widely active in the Kansas City community. He was a founding board member of the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey and co-chaired the organization’s 25th anniversary Gala in 2008. For 10 years he served on the board of Kansas City Young Audiences, and in 2006, he chaired that organization’s 45th anniversary gala. He currently serves on the board of the Women’s Employment Network and the Mid-America Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. He is a former board member of the AIDS Council of Greater Kansas City and the AIDS Service Foundation of Greater Kansas City, where he served as president from 1992 to 2003. In 2003, he received the foundation’s Marion Kreamer Ribbon of Hope award.

In 1998, Metzler received the John and Marion Kreamer Award for Entrepreneurship in Volunteer Community Service. The award is presented by the Council for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Henry W. Bloch School of Management’s annual Entrepreneur of the Year Awards celebration. And in 2011, he received the inaugural Virtuoso Award from the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City, recognizing an exceptional individual or group of individuals who have volunteered for a metropolitan area arts organization or artist. Honorees are selected on criteria that include involvement or support, impact of contribution and quality of service.

Faculty updates

John Baker is now full-time special instructor in the animation department and will act as interim chair for the department this fall, while Doug Hudson, associate professor and chair of animation and digital media, is on sabattical.

Laura Berman, associate professor of printmaking, is showing work in “Umbras,” a solo exhibition that will be on view Aug. 20 through Oct. 12 at Norman R. Eppink Gallery at Emporia State University in Kansas. The exhibition features new work made during Berman’s sabbatical this year. An artist reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 29. For more information, visit www.emporia.edu/art/. Pictured: “Facing,” Laura Berman, 2012, relief monoprint, 22 inches by 22 inches.

Stephen Dinehart has joined the animation and digital media faculty as an assistant professor.

Jill Downen has joined the sculpture faculty as an assistant professor.

Trey Hock is now a full-time special instructor in the photography and digital filmmaking departments.

Steve Mayse has been named chair of the illustration department.

Melinda Robino has joined the animation department as a special instructor.

David Terrill has joined the illustration faculty as an assistant professor.Jim Woodfill is now a full-time assistant professor in the painting department.

Alumni updates

Calder Kamin (’09 ceramics and art history), career services assistant at KCAI, will be showing work in “Tamed Territory,” an exhibition on view through Aug. 20 at Gray Duck Gallery in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.grayduckgallery.com.

Stuart Bury (’10 animation), co-director of the 2010 Student Academy Award-winning animated short “Dried Up,” recently was awarded a 2012 Robert Altman Education Grant. The Film Commission of Greater Kansas City and The Robert Altman Emerging Filmmakers Fund will host the Altman Education Grants Networking Mixer and Celebration to honor this year’s grant winners at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15 at Third Eye Productions, 2024 Main St.

Calls for artists

Lawton Gallery at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, is seeking submissions for an upcoming interactive exhibition, “How to Read a Book: An artists book reading room.” The exhibition will be on view Oct. 11 through Nov. 1 and will feature artists’ books on display in a gallery space that will be transformed into a reading room where visitors are invited to look through the books. The exhibition has an open submissions policy; no fees are associated with submissions; and all works will be exhibited. Artists are invited to submit up to three books. Submission deadline is Aug. 17. For more information about the exhibition, contact Stephen Perkins, Lawton Gallery curator, at perkinss@uwgb.edu or 920-465-2916. For further information about the art gallery, visit www.uwgb.edu/lawton.

Organizers of The Vine Art Festival are seeking artists to show work at the event Oct. 6 at Fahrmeier Family Vineyards in Lexington, MO. The festival includes music, art demonstrations, food vendors and wine tastings. Booth fees are $100 and artists must supply their own tent, table and chairs. For more information, visit www.VineArtFestival.com.

The Sikh Coalition, based in New York, is sponsoring its Third Annual Diversity Video Competition, inviting five-minute videos that depict a non-Sikh wearing a Sikh turban for a day and presenting himself/herself as a Sikh. Sikh’s consider the turban to be an article of faith, always to be treated with respect. The film is intended to capture the reaction of passersby, friends and family members, including interviews with main characters. The winning film will receive a grand prize of $1,500 and will be premiered in November at the Sikh Arts and Film Festival in New York. Second prize is $750. Submission deadline is Sept. 30. For more information visit www.sikhcoalition.org/our-programs/education/diversity-video-competition.

Intel® and Katalyst are seeking time-lapse or slow motion video submissions for their new competition, “A Momentary Lapse.” Artists are asked to create a 30-to 90-second time-lapse or slow motion video focusing on one of the following themes: sports, entertainment, style or music. Submissions are due by Oct. 23. The grand prizes include a Canon 5D MarkIII, a Dell Ultrabook, and winning videos will be featured in an Intel online advertisement. Additional prizes include Canon OES 7D and GoPro Hero 2 cameras, Dell Ultrabooks and CyberLink editing software. For more information, contact Love Streams, digital account manager, at love@katalystnetwork.com or 323-785-2732.

La Esquina – “Manifest Destiny” opens Sept. 7 at La Esquina, 1000 W. 25th St. The exhibition by Renée Cinderhouse (’01 sculpture) is described as “a storybook installation in sculpture focusing on American history, the Midwest as frontier and story-telling as the means to create personal and cultural identity.” The exhibition also will include performances by Kansas City musicians. Advanced sales of artwork from the project are available online. All sale proceeds go toward creation of the installation. For more information, visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1506385858/manifest-destiny-tomorrows-memories. Pictured: “Manifest Destiny,” Renee Cinderhouse, 2012, ink on encyclopedia pages published in 1954, 6.5 inches by 9.5 inches.

Overland Park Arboretum – An installation of sculptural work by sophomore sculpture students is on view through Oct. 1 at the Overland Park Arboretum, 8909 W. 179 St., Overland Park, Kan. Students were challenged to create ephemeral works of art that would complement the surroundings and change with nature during the months leading up to October. Materials incorporated into the works include hay, rocks, dyed cloth, wood and vinyl. The work can be seen along the Cottonwood Trail, West Trail and in the Prairie. Students with work on view include William Bradley, Benjamin Bradshaw, Charles Cintron, Oliver Clark, Kimberly Davidson, Rebekka Federle, Kirsten Holt, Elizabeth Howe, Lauren Lanza, Nicholas Missel, Maxwell Newman, Laura Valle, Erin Van Jura, Zachary Voss and Wyatt Wood. The arboretum is open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Sunday and admission is free. For more information, contact Julie Bilyea, recreation supervisor for the City of Overland Park, at 913-344-8656. Pictured: Kirsten Holt works on installing “Syringa,” her installation comprised of hand-dyed fabric wrapped around an oak tree just off the Cottonwood trail at the Overland Park Arboretum.

Spray Booth Gallery – “Covenant” is on view through Sept. 14 at Spray Booth Gallery, 130 W. 18th St. The exhibition features work by Peter Granados (’11 painting) and Tyson Gough (’11 painting). A closing reception will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Sept. 14. Regular gallery hours are 8 to 10:30 a.m. Monday, noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit www.sprayboothgallery.com. Pictured: Artwork by Peter Granados, courtesy of Spray Booth Gallery.